Feeling stuck in your financial plan—or maybe just in life in general? Whether it’s your money, career, or day-to-day habits, a little innovation can go a long way. Today, we’re breaking down how to rethink and restructure your approach to financial planning and work-life balance using lessons from Microsoft (yes, the Xbox folks). Dean Carignan and JoAnn Garbin insights on how to build a system for innovation—because the best financial plans (and lives) aren’t built by accident. Meanwhile, a woman was scammed out of her savings, and a major financial company had to pay a fine—even though they didn’t actually rip her off. What happened? And what does it mean for how we protect our own money? We’ll break it all down. Elsewhere in the episode, we discuss why trusted contact forms are crucial for safeguarding elderly relatives’ finances, how OG wants you to rethink your daily money habits, and why the Xbox case study holds lessons for designing a better financial plan. Plus, Doug has thoughts on podcast innovation, trivia, and—because it wouldn’t be a proper basement gathering without it—a hot take or two. What’s Inside Today’s Episode: A Woman Gets Scammed, But Who Pays the Price? A big financial firm faces a fine—without actually doing anything wrong. The Xbox Case Study: What Microsoft’s innovation strategy can teach you about structuring your financial future. Financial Planning Innovations: Why thinking like an engineer (or a game developer) might help you build a better plan. Rethinking Your Everyday Financial Habits: OG’s take on how small changes lead to big results. Trusted Contact Forms & Safeguarding Elderly Relatives: A simple but powerful tool to prevent financial disasters. Charitable Giving Strategies: How to give smarter, not just more. Doug’s Trivia Time: A deep dive into financial (and podcast) innovation—because why not? Building a Network in Retirement: Why relationships matter just as much as money when designing your post-work life. Key Takeaways from the Episode: You can’t just wing it with your finances. Microsoft doesn’t build Xbox consoles on a whim—your financial future needs the same level of structured innovation. Don’t assume big financial firms will protect you. A major company had to pay up even though they weren’t the scammers—learn how to protect yourself before something happens. Small financial tweaks can make a massive difference. Just like product innovations, incremental changes in your money habits can lead to big wins over time. Retirement isn’t just about the money. You need a network, a purpose, and a strategy—or you’ll find yourself wealthier but bored out of your mind. Tune in now to learn how to bring structured innovation into your finances, career, and life! FULL SHOW NOTES: https://stackingbenjamins.com/the-importance-of-innovation-1645 Deeper dives with curated links, topics, and discussions are in our newsletter, The 201, available at https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/201 Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices